The Board of Education signaled last week that it would approve two new high school science courses — AP Chemistry and AP Physics II — at its next meeting on Sept. 27. PHS honors chemistry teacher John Savage and honors physics teacher Marna Chamberlain outlined the course proposals in a first reading at the Sept. 13 school board meeting. If approved, the classes would be offered starting in the fall of the 2024-2025 school year.
PUSD currently offers AP courses in the life sciences, AP Biology and AP Environmental Science, but not in the physical sciences. According to both Savage and Chamberlain, honors chemistry and honors physics courses cover only around 70 percent of AP material.
Student and parent demand have pushed the district to add more advanced science courses to accommodate the growing interest in STEM-related fields of study. Adding the courses will also better align PHS with other comparable high school science offerings, the teachers said.
Given staffing challenges and implications for the high school’s master schedule, whether or not to offer three levels of physical science courses — i.e., chemistry, honors chemistry, and AP chemistry or physics, honors physics, and AP physics — has yet to be decided, said Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Ariel Dolowich.
Once the courses are approved, finding teachers will be the next challenge. “Every year I’ve been on the board there’s been a struggle finding science teachers,” noted Trustee Cory Smegal.
“We’re talking about that right now. I’m doing outreach to universities,” said Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hawn. “We’re likely to need another physical science teacher.”